Cruise lines tighten tobacco rules


Several cruise lines have further limited smoking on ships, leaving a few designated areas as the last refuge to light up at sea.Princess Cruises’ guests won’t be allowed to smoke in staterooms or on balconies starting with sailings on Monday. Three other lines recently tightened their smoking rules or will join Princess in doing so next week. “Our consumer studies now show that smokers are a small minority of our passengers, and that the large majority of passengers value having their primary living space onboard smoke-free,” Executive Vice President Jan Swartz said in a statement.In 2010, only 19.3 percent of Americans, or 45.3 million adults, smoked cigarettes, down from 20.9 percent in 2005, according to federal health regulators.The new smoking policy also reflects a worldwide effort to restrict areas where smoking is allowed, the Santa Clarita, Calif.-based cruise operator said.
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